Georgia House one step closer to legalizing 'Merry Christmas' in schools

Every year at the beginning of December some Americans engage in a ridiculous rhetorical ritual that recycles righteous arguments about whether people should say to one another Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas.

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Georgia House of Representatives passed a bill today allowing educators to use terms such as "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Hanukkah" in schools, and to display traditional religious and nonreligious holiday images and greetings, as long as at least two traditions are included.

The S.B. 283 permits teaching about "traditional winter celebrations" and allows display of symbols such as nativity scene, menorah, and Christmas tree as long as they also include at least one more religion or at least one secular display.

The language of the bill is unclear on the meaning of secular holiday display. As far as winter greetings are concerned, school signs such as "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Hanukkah" would have to be accompanied by "Happy Holidays."

The House changed the language of S.B. 283 so the bill has to go back to the Senate for the vote. The original vote in the upper chamber on February 4th was 43-8.

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Ewa Kochanska, a transfer from Warsaw, Poland, works as a freelance journalist and photographer in Atlanta, Georgia. Hailing from a politically volatile Central Europe, Kochanska easily picks up on governmental shenanigans that might otherwise go unnoticed. Contact her at ekochanska@columnist.com.